Image of a female teacher at a computer giving students a thumbs up. Digital literacy is key to thriving in today’s world. How can you build adult learners’ digital literacy skills in English language arts (ELA) lessons? We’re sharing five tips to help you blend ELA  and digital literacy instruction.

Five Tips to Build Learners’ ELA and Digital Literacy Skills

ELA instruction is a perfect place to cultivate digital literacy. Using these five tips, you can support adult learners in becoming adept readers, skilled writers, and savvy digital citizens.

1. Enhance Online Research Skills. Online research is a vital step in a student’s academic growth. It also helps foster ELA skills such as reading, writing, and critical thinking. Here are three  things to focus on:

  • Teach learners how to evaluate sources for credibility, bias, and relevance. Explain that not all online sources are reliable.

  • Guide learners in analyzing and synthesizing research from credible sources. Then, support them in using the research to form and communicate evidence-based claims. 

  • Engage learners in conversations about plagiarism to cultivate responsible and ethical digital citizenship. 

2. Foster Collaboration. You can choose from a wide range of tools to support collaborative work. A few examples of tools that help build ELA, collaboration, and digital literacy skills follow:

  • Ask learners to work in groups on presentations and writing assignments using tools like Google Slides, Canva, and Google Docs.  

  • Engage learners in using apps’ commenting features to share their insights on a reading or to provide peer feedback. You can also use these features to provide feedback on writing tasks. 

  • Show learners how to use Jamboard and Padlet to write responses to prompts and questions from you and their peers.  

3. Embrace Multimedia. Technology tools enable learners to convey information in a variety of formats. Here are two ideas to foster learners’ creativity, digital literacy, and ELA skills:

  • Ask learners to add multimedia elements to their projects. Let them choose the multimedia tools they want to use.

  • Encourage learners to share their ideas in multiple ways. Design projects that include infographics, short videos, and more.

4. Use Real-World Tasks. Almost all workplaces demand both strong digital and ELA skills. This amplifies the need to blend ELA, digital literacy, and job skill instruction. Keep the following in mind:

  • Create assignments that use common workplace tools, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Tasks can include writing professional emails, designing slide presentations, and completing digital forms. All of the competencies learners gain will have direct relevance in the professional realm.

5. Draw on Our Resources. Explore our curriculum resources that integrate ELA, content-area instruction, and digital literacy skills. Available units include Innovations of the Second Industrial Revolution, Various Variables: Using Scientific Thinking to Solve Real-Life Problems, and Take Action! Civic Engagement. Each unit plan also has sample lesson plans, instructional materials, and additional resources to support your teaching. Find more digital literacy resources on the SABES ELA digital literacy page.  

Are you interested in digital literacy PD offerings? Head to the ELA Year-at-a-Glance to read about digital literacy opportunities, including an upcoming series on how you can use AI in lesson planning and how you can support students’ responsible use of AI. The ELA PD Center will also offer a series of Lunch and Learn workshops this year on integrating digital skills in ELA instruction.

Are you interested in curriculum or instructional coaching? Do you have other questions about our offerings? Please contact Evonne Peters at evonne_peters@worlded.org. 

PD Center
SABES English Language Arts Curriculum & Instruction PD Center
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